Pineapple Tarts Recipe

Chinese New Year—especially in Malaysia—is incomplete without trays and trays of pineapple tarts. Over the years, I have really fallen in love with these absolutely tasty and addictive pineapple tarts and I have tried countless pineapple tarts recipe. However, time after time, I come back to this recipe that I have learned from Fresh from the Oven. This pineapple tarts recipe is easy and definitely a keeper!

Two trays of buttery, sweet, flaky, delicious, and beautiful pineapple tarts were born in my kitchen. Thanks to my Malaysian friend Mandy at Fresh from the Oven, I couldn’t get enough of them, and I am definitely saving this pineapple tarts recipe for good.

Pineapple tarts (凤梨酥) are commonly baked for the celebration of Chinese New Year festival in Malaysia and Singapore. In Taiwan, pineapple tarts or 凤梨酥 are exceedingly popular but Taiwanese pinepple tarts recipe calls for shortening and milk powder and taste slightly different. Because shortening is used in the Taiwanese version, they are also called pineapple shortcakes.

Making these pineapple tarts (凤梨酥) takes some patience, especially with the pineapple jam or pineapple tarts filling. The pineapple tarts looked so photogenic I just had to take a lot of pictures. So, please remember to view the complete pineapple tarts pictures above.

Below is the pineapple tarts recipe, which I have adapted from Fresh from the Oven. You can also make these pineapple tarts into different shapes, such as the open face flower shape. You can check out the recipe of open face pineapple tarts recipe here. Enjoy!

wow! these are definitely DH magazine worthy. I think you could start a magazine with your yummy recipes and beautiful food photography. P/s: I am glad the recipe works out for you. I used canned pineapple all the time here. Sometime I bring back a pack of the readymade filling from M’sia too. :p

It’s definitely easier not to buy the things you shouldn’t be eating!!! I’m back on the 2diet wagon” this morning, setting myself small goals as always and fingers crossed the weight will go at a pound of 2 per week.

love pineapple tarts. hey, i don’t know if others have this problem but for the past two weeks it takes about 10 min to download ur blog, n if i go to the next page it’s another 10 min wait. it drives me crazy. having same prob with Mandy’s blog too.

I have been searching high and low for a perfect pineapple tart/pineapple shortcake recipe and I am so glad to find yours. There are many recipes on the internet but yours look the most promising with beautiful pictures. I am sure I won’t go wrong with your pineapple tarts recipe. :)

Hi all – thanks for the nice comments. Everyone should give this recipe a try, really! :)

Anonymous – 2 sticks of butter means 1 cup of butter/8 oz of butter. I used two cans of cannes pineapple slices. 1 can is 20 oz. For the sugar, you can use more than 10 tablespoons or less than that, it’s up to your taste.

Are you writing for an American audience or for those of us in Asia? I couldn’t believe I was reading “sticks of butter”. One stick is 100g, so why not be specific. And shame on you, using canned pineapple in a place where fresh pineapple is good good! I’m sure the tarts are tasty, nonetheless.

I think you are the mega author in Asia that has done numerous Asian cookbooks. I wanted to welcome you to my humble Rasa Malaysia website, despite your not-so-nice comment about my pineapple tarts.

In case you haven’t noticed, I reside in the US…I am a food blogger and this is my personal blog. I am not a cookbook author and need not be precise with my recipes. And for your nformation, yes, the majority of my readers are in north America, and last I checked, using “sticks” to refer to butter is not something unacceptable here. I have a lot of Asian readers and others from all over the world, and they always try my recipes and love them.

A reader asked me about “2 sticks of butter” and I responded in my comments area. All you have to do is look.

As to why I used canned pineapples, well, it’s my own personal preference and it fits my busy schedules, and oh yeah, they are to die for!

Thanks for stopping by and you just gave me an idea. I am going to try one of your “authentic” Malaysian recipes and I will tell you exactly how real Malaysian dishes are done, the proper way. ;)

BeeYinn, tht WH is so bloody rude and not smart either. Whether your blog caters to Msian or North American, it shouldnt matter. If any of your readers are not sure abt the measurement, they can always ASK, nicely and they do ASK nicely.

Can fruits or fresh fruits, its not a big deal. You are baking/cooking for your own consumption therefore whichever suits your style and time and of course preference.

To WH, if you truly know that much about Msian food, then you should know that there’s no 1 way in making anything from sambal belacan to nasi lemak to char kuey teow. It all depends on your tastebud. Shame on you for your rude and uncalled for remarks!

goodness, some people just deserve a pineapple up the proverbial!your tarts look great and i am sure they tast divine. who cares if they were made of canned pineapple? a sure sign of a good cook is how they can make fabulous things out of any ingredients they have on hand. keep up the great work.

RM, I have been following your blog and I am obliged to say all your content is spot on till you called this Wendy Hutton a mega author. A mega author? Seriously? Never heard of her till now. Maybe now she will become mega. Most of your recipes have been easy to follow, especially for those of us Malaysian living abroad. With the substitute ingredients vs the fresh ones we get at homeland, now we too are able to enjoy and even share with our foreign friends, Malaysian cuisine. Also, I would have continued to make terrible pineapple juice out of canned pineapple if not for this posting. I don’t know if this Wendy character gets to watch the Food Network we have here in U.S. All the renowned chefs from all over the world, from Jamie Oliver to Mario Batali. Try correcting them, Wendy.

Just would like to share something that we’ve done this in the family for a few generations.

1) Get fresh sweet pineapple (if you’re in M’sia, it’s easy – if you aren’t, pick the pineapple that looks “orangey”) and grate (use the juice as well)2) Use rock cane sugar instead of regular sugar (it adds to the colour)3) Instead of cornstarch, use maltose sugar as a thickener

Blending can give you a too smooth jam – fibrous is better for texture. :)

Nice pics. My wife makes those tarts every year. She goes out and buys two or three pineapples and has me standing over the stove while the pineapples cook down. She has a slightly different variation as she uses a butter shortbread recipe for the coating. Personally I prefer the flaky version that we bought in S’pore. Very nice. These look just like it.

I don’t even know who Wendy Hutton is until I googled her name. Interesting comments but she is after all an author of cookbooks that are idiots-proofed. We all know Asian cooking leans towards the individual’s taste preference and is therefore less precise in nature. Oh well, some people do like to toot their own horns and offer unsolicited advice from their self-imagined pedestals though.

Anyhow, I am most tempted to cook up these delicious looking tarts and share them with my American parents-in-law. They’ll get to enjoy a Malaysian delicacy cooked up by this Malaysian transplant on American soil. Just looking at the pic makes my mouth water…. gosh, I just need to drag my lazy butt to the kitchen. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Ah jealousy! People who get offended by something as technical as a stick of butter VS. 100g of butter need to get a life. Really, that was a lame comment.

I’m so tired of the ‘intellectuals’ of cooking. I once i got lectured by someone because i used chicken broth instead of water to cook couscous. Apparently it’s a big no-no in some people’s mind. But who cares really, it was delicious and that’s all that matters to me.

I think you make beautiful food! It’s honest and it looks delicious. I would vote for you as Ambassador of Malaysian food anytime. :-)

I came back to get the pineapple tart recipe to try and saw the unfriendly post by WH. I have to attest that canned pineapple is a good choice to use. In fact, both fresh and canned make pretty darn tasty jam. I will use it again in a heart beat.

Interesting exchange, I collect Malaysian and Singapore cookbooks, and certainly have Wendy Hutton’s books well represented in my collection.

Her recipes are generally sound, and she is always sure to include historical/cultural editorials (albeit at times saccharine, as in her native friend vignettes conveniently hailing from the major 4 ethnic groups, in “Singapore Food”). Generally though, in her books, she comes across as thoughtful and respectful of her adopted food culture. And she certainly made her contributions in being one of the first to codify and record local recipes.

However, her anachronistic comments illustrate just how far we’ve come since her time.

Your gorgeous food photos and dynamic recipes with reader feedback (including the occasional raucous tete-a-tete, wink wink) are a revolution and an evolution from the static pages of a Wendy Hutton cookbook.

I tried your Pineapple Tart recipe, it came out flaky and tasty. My friend bought me pineapple filling from H.K,it taste not too sweet, maybe next time I should put more fillings. I enjoy reading your site. Are you a professional photographer? Very Nice Picture!

I tried this recipe earlier today and I halved the recipe accordingly, but the dough mixture turned out to be really crumbly and quite dry, despite me adding another egg yolk to the mixture hoping to bind them together…it was so crumbly i had a really difficult time trying to put the filling inside because they kept falling apart.

I just made the pineapple tarts and when I got to the step of filling the tarts, I came across a problem. After I flattened the dough and was starting to put the filling in, the dough would start to crumble such that I could not wrap it back up and close it. It tasted delicious but didn’t look as good as the ones you had on your website. Do you know what happened?

I’m a rookie!! I tried my first attempt today.. And I could not make a pretty one :( the shape looks ugly :'( Does anyone has a formula or video that I can follow to shape the tarts? Thanks a bunch.. BTW I prefer homemade so no machine!! :)

Hello RM, your pictures of those glorious pineapple tarts captivated me and prompted me into making my first batch today using yor recipe. I found my end products were too dry and crumbly, almost falling apart when applied light pressure! O.o
I have to admit I didn’t use exact measurements(as in weighing machines), all crudely by using measuring spoons(in cups for the flour), but I did however use exactly one tablespoon of the vegetable shortening. Should I use less/more flour or adjust flour to butter ratio? I believe in trial and error xD

I think the texture of the dough depends LARGELY on the butter as different brand has different moisture level which binds the dough. This recipe works perfectly for me every time but I used an American brand of butter. I can’t tell you “scientifically” what went wrong, but one reader added a wee bit of water to the dough and it turned out great. If you feel that the dough was too crumbly, then use less shortening. I used Crisco brand.

Are the sliced pineapples in the above recipe unsweetened? I made a pineapple tart recipe from another web site, but the dough was extremely sticky and hard to work with (even though I had refrigerated the dough). Would I have the same problem with your recipe or do you have some trick for handling the dough?

hihi. i made these tarts last night. it was good except that the dough wasnt stiff enough. so i can’t really use mould to shape my tarts. is it possible to let the dough be refrigerated first before using? thks for the recipe anyway =D

i just want you to know that i tried this recipe and almost cried eating it (and i m not even exaggerating). I have not had this since i left brunei in 2001. I just tried a piece and decided to post a note here to thank you for posting your adaptation. I added the shortening and followed the original for everything else. it turned out awesome! *tear*

Hi, your recipes looks so nice but i’ve tries making the pineapple filling on my own for past 2yrs. eventually everythings turn out to be perfect except that the tart turns mouldy after few days… do u have any idea to overcome this issue?? i do understand that homemade are non preservatives, but was it because i didnt cook the filling till completely dried?? (as commented by some senior).

The tarts were fantastic. However, I would divide the mixture into more portions next time as they were bigger than I expected. After rolling them out they should be about 3/4 inch or 1 inch long instead of 1.5 inches long. They looked less appetising due to their size. Overall I give this recipe a 9 out of 10.

Hi Bee, I love Pineapples Tarts and going to try this soon. I bet it gonna be good as with all the compliments here. However, need to find out from you. If I were to add 1/2 tsp of shortening, do I still need to take out 1/2 tsp of the butter ? Hope you hear from you. Good day

Hi Cassidy…you basically divide the dough and then use your palms to make them into a round ball shape. Then flatten the dough and add the filling in the middle (also shaped in a round ball shape). Then you wrap the dough up and cover up the filling. Use your fingers to pinch and cover. Once the filling is covered, you shape it into the shape I have in the recipe. Then, you cut the criss-cross with a small paring knife. Practice makes perfect. One tip is to roll the tart (after the filling is enclosed) on a wooden cutting board to make it into the desired shape. Hope this helps.

hi Bee, I also make pineapple tart for this CNY. here in indonesia, they usually bake with 140-150c until golden brown. with my electric oven, it took about 50mins to bake. very long long long time. and sometimes my tart is cracking.

can you help me to prevent the cracking? and I love your tart shape. and the color is very nice.

and for baking this tart, do you use both top and botton heat or just the bottom heat?

Hi I am not sure if I can answer your question. I have an American oven and the heat is both top and bottom I think. Not sure about cracking, I think if it cracks, maybe it’s not buttery enough? Try my recipe I don’t have that issue. Good luck sorry I can’t be of much help.

I have friends coming over to celebrate Chinese New Year and wanted to try these cookies. My first attempt was ok. Not easy to shape. My dough was a little dry and I think I should have added a little water or more butter. I might have over cooked the cookies a little too. They were a bit dry and because they were so small I couldn’t fill them with much pineapple. I think these would be tasty if I could add more filling. I know practice makes perfect though :) Thank you for sharing this recipe.

Yes, if your dough is dry then add 1 tablespoon more butter until they are easier to shape and don’t stick to your hand. You bake when the egg wash topping turns light brown. The cookies should be “white” or slightly brown and not overly brown. Yes practice makes perfect.

Bee, I just want to thank you for all the wonderful, delicious, easy recipes. Living in the US, I’ve missed all the local S’porean n M’sian food. So I have to learn to cook n bake from scratch to satisfy some of these cravings. I just baked the pineapple tarts and these “virgin” tarts are delicious. Thank you, Thank you!

Kong Hee Fatt Choy Bee, thanks for all your amazing recipes. Instead of shaping the tarts as per your recipe, if I shape it like a cookie and put the filling on top, how long do I put in into the oven for? Should I still brush it with egg wash? Thanks!

Made these tarts and were heavily praised by my parents who are from Taiwan and enjoy the Taiwanese version. I’ve read that some have frozen theirs. (1)When you take it out do you just let it defrost and then enjoy? (2)if I was to make a big batch and freeze them unbaked, when I’m ready do you recommend that I just stick it in the oven or wait till it defrosts then bake? Thanks in advance.

Omg, I hv truly died and gone to the Heaven of Tarts! I followed your recipe and instructions to the “t” – The pastry is buttery and crumbly with a soft sweet pineapple centre. The best baking I hv done and Bee, your recipe was spot on. Thank you for bringing a little bit of Malaysia into my kitchen. Now I don’t hv to buy the commercial ones anymore. You r a genius and I am a happy bunny!

My husband and I thank you so much for this ‘fool’s proof’ recipe..I am not good in baking but the tarts tasted fantastic (what a pleasant surprise ^^) Please keep your good work coming. Thanks again:D

Thanks soooo much for the recipe of this beloved childhood treat. I am also a Malaysian residing in Honolulu where fresh dole pineapples are grown. It only makes perfect sense to make these here. I also loved how you indicated 2 ‘sticks’ of butter– I had to read it twice! Anyway, my question is how long do you chill the pineapple jam for, before you start filling them into the pastry? Right now they are sitting in the fridge, and I am just about to shape the dough into rounds! Very excited to see how they turn out.

I made them as desserts for thanksgiving lunch and they were snatched up really quickly. The only improvement I would make is for the pineapple jam to chill for more than 1 hour. Yesterday I could not form them into small balls, so they smeared a little when I was filling them in. Otherwise, it is a fantastic recipe. Making more this weekend.

These tart was a perfect treat for my new year’s day. Love the combination of the jam and the slightly sweet dough. I’m going to use the dough for some an pan. It will work perfecly. I love that it uses butter. Here’s a link of my post of your pineapple tart recipe. I’m defenitely making these again. Thanks for sharing. http://princesshotflash.blogspot.com/2015/01/to-start-my-new-year-off.html

made these tarts over the weekend.
i have never made pastry before and these turned out delish.
can’t stop eating them. will make more for CNY.
planning to try your peanut cookie recipe too.
with them, i will feel a little less homesick for malaysia :)

I’m a Singaporean residing in the US, and I missed my CNY goodies so much I decided to try making them! I followed your recipe for my first attempt at pineapple tarts – they turned out so delicious! I used less sugar for the filling because I don’t like my pastries too sweet. I did have to add quite a bit of water to the dough to keep it from being too crumbly (because I didn’t really want to add more butter to the already-very-buttery dough) but that may just be how dry the weather where I live is. Brought some of these tarts to school to share with my classmates and professor, and everybody loved it! I’m making my second batch now :)

I followed your recipe. The dough is perfect, soft, smooth , no sticky. However, the tart took up to 40minutes to be golden at 180C degree. And the tart is a bit hard. It does not melt in the mounth. Do you know possible reasons caused this? Please help. Thanks